


Friends Like These

by Car



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Humor, Slice of Life, pokeshipping - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-29 13:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20082808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Car/pseuds/Car
Summary: The old gang meets up in Cerulean City for a weekend as Ash takes a break between leagues. As they take in the sights, catch up, and goof off together, Ash starts noticing Brock and Tracy acting like they may be up to something. Misty seems to notice it too, and she definitely doesn't seem too happy about it. What are they up to...? Pokeshipping.





	Friends Like These

**Author's Note:**

> This started off as just a simple, silly little fic that kinda morphed into something much longer and more detailed, but I did have a great time writing it, and I hope you all enjoy reading it! Takes place after the Alola League

It was roughly two-sixteen in the morning when Ash, Brock, and Tracy dragged themselves into the Cerulean City Pokemon Center that evening, having just finished navigating a mountainside and looking very much the part.

Thankfully, Joy had let them in despite the Center being locked up for the night, albeit with a harsh tongue lashing reminding them how trainers their age should know better than to be out this late, and sent them up to a room for what was probably going to be the best night sleep any of them had had in days.

"We shoulda just went right to Misty's," Ash said through a yawn, throwing his bag onto his bed. Tiredly, Pikachu slipped off his shoulder and collapsed onto the pillow. Brock snorted.

"Are you crazy?" he asked, shaking his head. "If we woke Misty and her sisters up at this hour, they would water gun us back to Mt. Moon. Besides, she has work in the morning, you _know_ she would make us wake up with her."

Tracy rubbed his eyes, reaching down to pull off his sneakers and rub his tired feet. "I'm just glad Joy let us in. We should remember to thank her in the morning."

Brock grinned. "Oh, I will absolutely make sure I thank her _throughly_."

Ash wrinkled up his nose and Tracy rolled his eyes, both if them giving each other a tired look before Tracy reached over and hit Brock with his pillow.

After getting settled, Tracy and Brock slunk off to the communal bathroom to wash up and get ready for bed, but Ash couldn't quite find it in himself, and chose to just crawl into bed, filth and all, and wash up in the morning. Pikachu was already snoring away, and risking electrocution, he reached over to absentmindedly run his fingers through his fur as he let his mind drift before it shut off completely.

Man, he was glad he got to hang with the old crew again.

So far, all of the plans had worked out just about perfectly. Ash came back to Pallet for his short break between leagues, spent a few days with his mom, then he and Tracy took off for Pewter. Once they got there, they met up with Brock, visited with his family, and then together, the guys took off for Cerulean.

It was a few days of pure, unadulterated dude time, and Ash loved every minute of it. They burped, farted, ragged on each other, and joked about getting all the fun in before Misty came in like a hurricane to rain all over their parade. Of course, as much as they teased, it was obvious, at least to Ash, _something_ was missing, and as much as it pained him to admit it, Misty was that something.

"Well, obviously, you'll all need to come to Cerulean," she had stated very matter-of-factly when Ash had called them all up to solidify their plans.

Ash balked. "Why do we gotta come to you?" he demanded.

Tracy nodded. "Both Ash and I are in Pallet already, Misty."

"Yeah! And Brock and me went up to Cerulean last time, remember?"

"Oh sure, _after_ I went all the way to Pallet to pick you up," she pointed out. "Besides, unlike SOME people," and at this, she glared at each of the boy's video feeds individually, causing at least Brock and Tracy to shrink back sheepishly, "I have a _job_ with a _set schedule_. If I was to go out of town, I wouldn't get in until late Friday or early Saturday, and would have to leave by Sunday evening. You coming to me is just logical."

Brock and Tracy shared a look and shrugged. "Makes sense to me," Brock said in agreement as Tracy nodded.

Ash, still not quite ready to give in to Misty's reasonable demands, pouted. "Okay fine. But Mom just told me about that new movie theater you guys got with like, the reclining seats and drink service and stuff, so we should go there."

"Ash, what do you want with drink service?" Brock asked incredulously.

"Don't you tell me how to live my life."

Misty bit back a giggle, shaking her head at Ash's absurdity. "Yes, yes, fine, we'll go see a movie." She waved him off. "_And,_ since I am _so nice_-"

Ash snorted. Misty pointedly ignore him.

"-_I_ will let _you guys_ pick the movie as a thanks for agreeing to hang out in Cerulean. You're welcome."

They ultimately settled on the most rough and tough battling action movie they could find, a new release with some up and coming battle actor Brock 'had heard of, but hadn't seen anything he was in.' Misty commented that at least he was cute, which almost prompted Ash to want to change the movie, but Tracy and Brock put their foot down, and they all agreed to meet up Friday evening at 5:30 so Misty could have time after work to get ready, and they could still get there early and get good seats.

Despite himself, Ash grinned into his pillow, drifting off to sleep.

O

"She's still not ready yet?"

Daisy shook her head sluggishly from side to side, pointing her thumb up the stairs to the sister's living quarters. "Like, she should be soon, she's been up there, for, like, ever."

Violet nodded. "Lily was helping with her hair last time I checked," she explained. "I would give it like, five, ten minutes tops."

Ash sighed, leaning over the reception desk dramatically, much to the amusement of the two elder Waterflower sisters.

"Oh, you'll be fine," Daisy said with a chuckle. "The movie doesn't start for like, a half hour, right?"

"It's a new release though," Ash whined. "I dunno how long Brock and Tracy can save us seats."

"I mean, like, if you want to go up there yourself and tell her to hurry up, go for it," Violet snorted. Ash's eyes widened comically.

"That's fine, I'll wait. I'd like to actually watch the movie, and it would be kinda hard with my head bitten off."

"Sorry Ash! Almost done!" he heard Misty call down the stairs, as if she knew what he was thinking. It wasn't the first time of course, she had a spooky habit of popping into his life right when he was about to do something stupid to remind him how stupid the thing was.

He always did it anyway, but still. She knew.

Sighing, he leaned again the wall, running his hand through his already messed up hair and pouting when he remembered his hat wasn't there.

"You're not wearing that tonight, are you?" Brock had asked as Ash gathered up his clothes and started making his way to the showers that morning.

Ash blinked down at his clothes and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Really?" Brock asked again, turning his full attention to Ash. "Just... the same old thing?"

He narrowed his eyes. "_You're_ wearing the same old thing."

"That's different."

"Different how?"

"It just is. Now listen." Brock held up his finger, effectively silencing Ash, who was in the process of opening his mouth to argue once more. "Trust me on this one, wear something... different."

Ash looked down at his clothes, then back up at Brock. "Nah, I'm good," he stated simply, slipping out the door and down the hall towards the bathroom.

In retrospect, he really shouldn't have been surprised when half of his clothes were missing when he got out of the shower, but silly him. He thought at eighteen, maybe Brock and Tracy (because he was like, 83% sure Tracy was also involved in this somehow too, even unwillingly) were old and mature enough to, _you know_, not steal his clothes.

Hindsight is 20/20, he guessed.

"What did you do with my stuff?" Ash had demanded, bursting back into their room.

Tracy, at least, had the decency to look guilty, but Brock played it cool.

"What stuff?" he asked.

Ash glared. "My clothes."

"Clothes," he mused, tapping his chin in contemplation just a bit too dramatically. "Clothes... Trace, you know anything about clothes?"

Tracy gulped. "N-nope. No, clothes here!"

"What you have on looks fine to me," Brock added.

"What did you do with my hat and jacket?"

"Hm. Hat and jacket... Don't recall. What do they look like?"

"Brock, c'mon! This is so stupid!"

"You're right." Brock reached over to his bed and grabbed a shirt Ash recognized as one of the 'nice' button up shirts his mom made him take with him for 'special occasions' that didn't actually really exist on a pokemon journey. "Why don't you wear this?"

Ash stared at the shirt apathetically. Behind it, Brock wiggled it a bit and grinned stupidly.

"Fine, I'll just wear this." he grumbled.

"Good call."

So, here Ash was, hatless and jacketless in just his t-shirt and jeans, annoyed at Brock for being so... _Brock_, and waiting forever for Misty to finish getting ready.

"Here I come, here I come," he heard finally, followed by a door closing, and an annoyed, "It looks _fine_, Lily, I need to go!" which made him grin a little, as Misty came jogging down the stairs, giving him an apologetic smirk and a roll of her eyes as she made it down to the lobby. "Okay! Let's get going," she said, gesturing toward the door with her thumb.

"Like, be safe! Have fun!" Daisy and Violet called together. Misty stuck out her tongue and waved back to them, already striding quickly towards the door.

Ash grinned and waved goodbye as well, following the quickly escaping redhead.

"Lily is insane. I've told you this before, but it's still true. She is insane." She sighed, blowing a breath of air into her bangs before turning to Ash with a genuine smile. "Hi, by the way!" she chirped.

"Hi!" he laughed. "Long time no see!" He gestured to her vaguely and snorted. "I'm sorry Lily is insane, but you do look nice."

She beamed at that, twirling around a bit to let the yellow and red sundress she was wearing dance around her, and flipped her hair (that Ash didn't think looked that different, and thus wondered why it was taking Lily so long to style. The ends were a little curlier, maybe? And she had a big blue bow in her side-ponytail to proudly store and show off her Key Stone, of course, but other that that it looked like it always did).

"Oh, thank you," she sang. "Figured it was a good time to wear this. Good job, by the way, I love it!"

Ash blinked. "Good job?"

"Yes, good job," she repeatedly slowly. "On the dress."

Ash continued to stare at her blankly. She sighed.

"This is the dress you and Lana got me for my birthday," she explained. "Remember?"

Now that she mentioned it, the red flowers covering the yellow fabric of the dress did look distinctively Alolan. "Oh yeah!" he exclaimed, the memory coming back to him.

Misty and Brock had just left Alola a few weeks prior when Lana came knocking at his door super early one weekend morning, demanding they go together to pick out a birthday present for Misty. They ended up at the Hau'oli City Mall and Ash, still half asleep, followed Lana around as she shopped, forcing himself to stay awake and be helpful. They must have looked at almost a hundred different potential gifts that day, but eventually settled on a simple Alolan style sundress that Lana described as "so cute!" and Ash noted that the colors reminded him of Misty's usual style.

He had honestly forgotten about that, he realized sheepishly, but when he looked at Misty to apologize, he was surprised to see her shaking her head and giggling. "Oh Ash," she said wistfully. "Never change."

As they walked, the conversation drifted around to different, less embarrassing topics, such as Ash's mom, Misty's sisters, the gym, the Alola League, Pikachu.

"Where is he by the way?" Misty asked. "Without him or your hat, I almost didn't recognize you."

"Helping Brock and Tracy save seats," Ash replied, rolling his eyes as Misty just _had_ to bring up the hat. "And you can thank Tweedledee and Tweedledum for the hat, they stole it while I was in the shower."

Misty burst out laughing at that, and Ash couldn't help but grin along with her. "What?! Why?!" she laughed.

Ash shrugged, gesturing wildly as Misty continued to crack up beside him. "_I don't know!_ They took my jacket, too!"

"And they didn't tell you why?"

"Of course not! That would have been helpful!"

Misty shook her head. "You three, I swear. I leave you alone for two days, and you turn into ten year olds."

"Nah." Ash grinned, opening the door to the theater and gesturing for Misty to enter. "We'll act like ten year olds _with_ you here too."

Misty snorted. "Oh goody."

Once they had paid for their tickets and snacks (Ash was pleased to see Misty had gotten nearly as much candy and popcorn as he had), they found their theater, relieved to see the previews hadn't started yet.

Ash knew Misty hated missing the previews. Though it would have totally been her fault if they had, he was still relieved they hadn't.

"Do you see them?" Misty asked, squinting into the seats.

Ash followed suit. "Not yet, I can't- Oh! There they are, kinda middle-rightish."

"Oh yeah, I see them. I don't see any empty seats around them, though," Misty added, sounding a little worried.

The two shared a look before climbing the stairs.

"Hey Misty!" Brock called with a grin, waving at her from his seat. Tracy, shoving popcorn in his mouth, gave her a small wave as well.

"Hey guys," she replied back, though her eyes didn't leave the people sitting casually around the two. "Where are our seats?"

Brock, looking only _slightly_ regretful, just a _tad too happily_ shrugged. "Sorry guys, we couldn't get four together."

"Whaat?" Ash whined. "Where are we supposed to sit?"

Tracy, also just a _tad too happily_, tilted his head up towards the back left corner of the room. "Pikachu managed to guard two seats back there," he offered. Across the room, a small, yellow blob waved.

Misty's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Oh did he?" she asked, clearly unimpressed. Brock and Tracy laughed a little uncomfortably.

Ash, however, blissfully unaware of whatever was up with his friends, shrugged. "That works, I guess. Some help you guys are, though."

"Well you know us, completely useless!" Brock said with a grin.

"No kidding," Misty grumbled.

They made their way across the room to the seats Pikachu had been saving just as the lights dimmed. Misty gave Pikachu a little hug as they sat down, the pokemon settling comfortably into her lap as she scratched at his ears. Once they had strategically placed their snacks around them and got comfortable, Misty left out an irritated huff, catching Ash's attention.

"What's up?" he whispered, trying not to be too disruptive during the previews.

Misty, a light blush dusting her cheeks Ash only barely noticed in the dim light, frowned. "Don't you see what they're doing?" she asked, also in a whisper.

Ash blinked. "Huh? What do you mean? What are they doing?"

Misty bit her lip, opened her mouth, then seemed to think better of it and shut it once again. "Ugh, nothing, don't worry about it."

Ash frowned, but decided it was best not to push it and left it alone.

O

Overall, the movie had been just about as Ash expected. Cool pokemon, epic battles, heroic trainers, and corny romance. Thankfully, Misty seemed to get over whatever was bugging her before the movie, and though she complained a little (mainly when something unrealistic happened to for sake of 'looking cool'), Ash could tell she generally enjoyed it.

The only time he noticed anything off had been during a particularly clichéd love scene, when he had gone to lean over and whisper a snide comment. Her face had bloomed bright red, and she practically stiff-armed his face away from her, ordering him to "Just shut up and watch the stupid movie."

After meeting up with Tracy and Brock just outside the theater, they group decided to grab some ice cream before heading back to the gym, and were happy to stretch their legs on the walk over after sitting for over two hours. The cool, evening air filled with casual conversation about the movie, as well as work, school, training, and life, the four friends catching up after being apart for another long year.

"I hate how movies like that are always filled with explosions," Misty declared. "Pokemon attacks do not explode nearly as much as they like to think."

"Maybe they do, but you're so busy training water pokemon, you never noticed," Ash suggested. "I see explosions in battles all the time."

"That's because you have a really bad habit of destroying things," Misty pointed out with a laugh. Despite the dig, Ash couldn't help but grin.

"You say destroying, I say efficiency!"

As they joked, neither noticed the satisfied look shared by Brock and Tracy behind their back.

O

Upon returning to the gym, Misty ordered a late night extra large pizza, and the group got settled in the living room to hang out until bed. Tracy and Brock took over claim to the couch, forcing Ash and Misty to their sleeping bags on the floor, since you know, they were still young and their backs could still handle it. Daisy joined them for a little while (mainly hanging around Tracy, Ash noticed interestingly), but after stealing a slice of pizza, sauntered off to bed to "like, get her beauty sleep."

Once again, the conversation drifted in and out of current life events and past memories, causing Ash to feel a bit nostalgic as they reminisced of their travels together. It was a good nostalgia at least, reminding him of the early days of his journey, with his oldest friends by his side, experiencing new things and new adventures, getting into trouble every other day, but getting out of it just as easily.

Things were definitely different now compared to where they were when they were traveling together, he realized. Brock was going to school, studying to be a Pokemon Doctor, dropping words like exams, practicals, and residences casually into conversations, Tracy was working for Professor Oak full time, referring to Gary, of all people, as a colleague, and talking about the idea of publishing a book, and Misty...

Misty was back at the gym, he thought with a frown. The _one thing_ she was adamant about not ever doing.

Apparently that bummer of a thought manifested onto his face, as all three of his friends easily noticed the sudden souring of his mood.

"You okay, man?" Brock asked, jarring him from his inner thoughts.

"Yeah Ash," Misty added, tilting her head curiously. "You got all quiet and sad all of a sudden. You okay?"

He shook his head, forcing a smile back onto his face. "O-oh yeah!" he laughed. "Totally, I just... I missed you guys."

Misty, Brock, and Tracy smiled softly at him in response, and without warning, engulfed him in a hug, 'awww'ing, despite his protests.

O

Ash didn't know what time it was, or what it was that had woken him from his sleep, but the clear glass ceiling of the newly remodeled Cerulean Gym showed a dark, star-dotted sky, so it obviously wasn't morning. Yawning, he rubbed a bit of sleep out of his eyes and turned over to check the clock on the wall-

And came face to face with a pair of surprised, green eyes.

"Ash!" Misty gasped, sitting up suddenly, a deep blush Ash could even see in the dark filling her cheeks.

He stared at her sleepily for a moment, his tired brain taking longer than normal to process his surroundings. "Misty?" he asked gravelly, the end of her name being cut short by a yawn. "What are you doin'?"

"Nothing!" she cried, sitting up and clutching her sleeping back to her chest. "Nothing, I was just- you were- and I- I need to use the bathroom." Throwing back her blanket, she speed-walked down the hall, the complete opposite direction from the bathroom.

Blinking lazily, he stared after her for a moment, and, attributing it to just one of those weird _Misty Things_ she was always doing, curled back into his bag and fell back into a tranquil sleep.

O

While Ash remembered the weird incident with Misty in the morning, he attributed the weirdness of the whole situation to his drowsiness, and only really thought about it again when he saw the poor girl across from him at the breakfast table the next morning.

Her red hair, free from it's ponytail and still just a bit curly form the night before, stuck out at all angles as it fell just above her shoulders, somehow bringing out the dark circles under her half-opened eyes. The top of her pajamas (an oversized yellow t-shirt that didn't at all match her baggy, staryu patterned pants), draped over her frame miserably, one shoulder poking out of her comically oversized collar.

For some reason, the sight warmed his heart, and biting the dopey smile off his face, quipped a silly "Wow, Mist, you look like crap."

"Pikapi!" Pikachu snapped, whacking him lightly in the arm, his little face scrunched up just as irritated at his quip as Misty's.

"Thanks a lot," she grumbled back, aggressively shoveling a forkful of eggs into her mouth.

With a snort of amusement, Brock placed a plate of food in front of Ash, shaking his head. "Smooth," he said, hushed enough so Misty couldn't hear him, and turned back to serve breakfast to Tracy, who had just dragged himself into the kitchen as well.

Ash raised an eyebrow, but chose to stay quiet. He would ask Brock about it later.

"So!" Brock said with a clap, finally sitting down to eat himself. "What's on the docket today? Didn't you say you had a list of fun stuff for us to do, Misty?"

"Oh yeah!" She chirped, seeming to perk up a little. "It depends on what you guys want to do, really," she explained. "We could go see a Starmie Pokebase game; I think they're playing the Typhlosion today. We could also go up to the cape and see the ocean, or check out the shops downtown... Or, as long as we can trust Ash not to blow anything up, they do bike tours of town as well."

"That sounds fun," Tracy said with a nod. "Think you can resist destroying another bike, Ash?"

"Har har, you guys are hilarious." Ash rolled his eyes. "But a bike tour does sound fun!"

They scheduled a tour for eleven that morning, giving them all enough time to get dressed and ready, and still be done with the tour in time for lunch. After that, they would check out some shops, then go up north to see the Cerulean Lighthouse at the cape to explore and enjoy a picnic dinner.

The walk to the start of the bike tour wasn't too long, and upon arrival, Ash was amused to see all of the bikes decorated in the style of various water pokemon, each with a matching helmet. Ash immediately jumped on a squritle, Brock to a seel, and Tracy to a marill, leaving Misty to a psyduck, much to the group's amusement.

The guide started off leading them through the city's bustling downtown, showing off the extensive storefronts, historic buildings, restaurants, and various fountains, statues, and gardens. It continued to the Pokemon District, where the Center, Gym, and Pokebase stadium were located, along with a bustling, beautiful, city park, then ventured to the outskirts of the city limits, where they got a glance of the mysterious Cerulean Cave from across the river.

As they rode, Ash not only couldn't help but notice the beauty of the city, as well as Misty attracting a certain amount of attention. Even in her goofy psyduck helmet, the residents of Cerulean City recognized and greeted her with smiles and waves, calling out congratulations on her various matches and events, and wishing her and her sisters well. To each person, she responded enthusiastically, thanking them for their support, and wishing them the best, her face lit up with a proud and confident smile.

Ash enjoyed watching her. Glad and relieved that, even if it wasn't necessarily what she had intended to do with her pokemon career, the Gym Leader life was treating her well.

It looked good on her.

"So Misty, it seems like everyone in town knows you," Ash pointed out to her as they sat down at a restaurant patio for lunch.

Misty waved him off, smiling softly and stirring the ice around in her drink with her straw. "Well, it's a Gym Leader's duty to be a kind of public figure," she explained. "You're a representative of the city in a lot of ways."

Brock nodded. "That's right. It's not just about battling and badges anymore, gyms bring a lot of trainers and tourism. These days, Gym Leaders work on a similar level as say, the Mayor or City Manager."

"Wow," Ash mumbled.

"And hey!" Tracy added, "Didn't you guys just finish that whole community outreach project? Daisy told me you guys had a great turnout."

"Oh yeah! We had hundreds of volunteers come help clean up garbage and litter, we planted trees and tended to the routes in and out of town, and organized the local food bank and other resources for people hard on their luck." She beamed. "Thanks to my sisters and me, Joy has a completely full calendar of volunteers at the Center for the rest of the year, and we were able to provide loads of jobs with the gym remodel!"

"That's amazing," Ash replied breathlessly, in obvious awe and not even bothering to hide it.

Misty flushed humbly, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "It's nothing really," she said softly, trailing off as the waiter returned with their orders.

O

"So, we're going to go head the gym and grab the picnic stuff."

"All three of you?"

Brock shrugged at Misty's suspicious inquiry. "It's a lot of stuff."

"Do you need _my_ help?"

"Nah, maybe you could go save us a spot?"

Misty narrowed her eyes in doubt, but sighed, knowing full well not to get in it with Brock about something weird like that. "Fine, I'll go get us a nice spot at the lighthouse. Will you take the stuff I bought back home for me at least, so I don't have to carry it around?"

Tracy kind of nudged Ash forward. "Oh, sure. Ash, grab her bags."

"You grab her bags," Ash mumbled, but after receiving a death glare from his two older friends, begrudgingly took them from her hands.

After lunch, the four had gone to the downtown shopping district, Misty enthusiastically leading the charge, informing them that she just _needed_ to get something to send to Lana as a thank you for the dress, and oh hey, if they _happened_ to pick some other items up along the way, no problem.

Seven stores and eight bags later, there they were.

"Alright, I'll see you guys in a bit?" she asked, obviously still a little apprehensive.

"See you soon!" Brock called, then quickly took off in the direction of the gym as soon as her back was turned, pushing Ash and Tracy along with him.

It didn't take long to get to the gym (especially at the rate Brock was walking), and as soon as they got inside, Brock began throwing things together for the picnic. Ash didn't know where Misty's sisters were, but apparently aware of their plans somehow, they had placed out some fancy meats and cheeses, a big, plaid blanket, and a cute little basket for them on the kitchen counter.

As Brock fluttered around, Tracy and Pikachu disappeared, Tracy returning not long after with two plastic cups and a chilled bottle of sparkling grape juice, which he stuck into the basket along with Brock's snacks.

"Really?" Brock asked, reading the label on the bottle.

"They're sixteen."

"Okay, fair."

"Okay, what are you guys up to?" Ash asked, finally catching on to his friend's strange behavior.

Brock and Tracy exchanged _a look_, Brock raising his eyebrows at Tracy, who then coughed, scratching the back of his neck and averting his gaze. Brock sighed, rolled his eyes, turned to Ash, his his arms crossed across his chest, and declared bluntly:

"We aren't going."

Ash blinked. "Huh? What do you mean we aren't going? Misty's up there waiting for us."

"No Ash," Brock said, shaking his head. "Not _'we'_ as in us, _'we'_ as in Tracy and me." He grabbed the basket, perfectly packed and ready to go, and held it out to him. "_You_ are going."

Ash gaped at them, his eyes darting from the basket, to Brock, to Tracy, and back to the basket, trying to make sense of what they were saying. "What are you talking about?" he demanded finally. "You guys are just ditching Misty?"

"Somehow, I don't think she'll mind," Tracy said cryptically, Brock snorted, but held his resolve, gently placing the basket in Ash's dumbfounded arms.

"Just do this, okay? For Misty?"

Ash looked down at the basket in his arms, not sure at all what Brock and Tracy ducking out of dinner had to do with making Misty happy, but, well, what the heck. They seemed to think it was a good idea, so maybe they were on to something?

"Fine," he sighed. "I have no idea what you guys are up to, but fine. Where's Pikachu?"

As if on cue, Pikachu came waltzing into the kitchen, a single, coral colored rose in his paws.

"You too?" he asked the pokemon tiredly.

He hopped up and draped the rose on top of the basket in response, giving Ash a little pat on the calf in encouragement. "Pika."

"Great," he grumbled.

"Alright Ash," Brock chirped, taking him by the shoulder and turning him towards the door. "Have fun, be safe, don't do anything I wouldn't do. And- Oh, one more thing." He grabbed Ash's hat from off of his head, much to Ash's continued irritation, and beamed. "Good luck."

Pouting at his missing hat (again!), Ash took one last look at the grinning faces of his friends, and left for the Cerulean Lighthouse.

O

Misty was leaning against a tree overlooking the water when Ash arrived, and even though he had gotten there as soon as he was able, he felt a bit of guilt at how long they left her to stand up there on her own.

Well, not _they_, he guessed, _him_. _They_ weren't there.

He still had no idea what was going on, but the more he thought on it, the more certain he was that not only were Brock and Tracy up to something they didn't feel the need to disclose to him, but Pikachu and Misty's sisters were involved in the mischief as well.

At this point, the only option he could think of was to talk to Misty, and see if she had any clue as to what was going on.

As he climbed the hill up to her, the sun was just beginning to set, turning to twilight and bathing the world in a soft, orange glow. The sun didn't set over the ocean in Kanto like it did in Alola where they had last watched the sun set together, but somehow, it brought with it a more familiar, intimate feeling that you only got after returning home after being away for so long.

"They aren't coming are they?"

Ash blinked in surprise. She hadn't even looked over at him.

"It's okay," she continued, still refusing to look at him. "I had a feeling they were going to pull a stunt like this." She sighed, finally turning towards him and smiling dryly.

Ash frowned. She looked a combination of exhausted, nervous, and disappointed, and all he wanted to do was give her a hug.

"So they _are_ up to something," he said instead.

"Obviously."

"Do you know what?"

"Of course."

"Really? What?"

Misty closed her eyes and leaned her head back to rest on the tree. "Ash, are you honestly this stupid, or is just this a really bizarre way of letting me down gently?"

"Apparently, I'm _honestly_ this stupid," he chuckled. "I have no idea what is going on."

Opening her eyes, she smiled, her eyes softening as they took in what had to be his very confused, vulnerable expression. "They're trying to set us up, Ash."

"What?" he asked. "Like, for a crime?"

Misty snorted at that. "No, not for a crime, you dummy!" she laughed. "Like, on a date."

"A date?!"

She nodded. "You seriously couldn't tell? The not sitting by us at the movie thing? Trying to make you look nice? Making us sleep on the ground next to each other? They've been doing it since you got here."

Ash shook his head. "No! I didn't even..." He paused, smirking a little and picking up the rose form on top of the basket. "Heh, explains this, though," he said, handing it over to Misty. "Pikachu gave me this to give to you."

"How sweet," she giggled, tucking it behind her ear. "How do I look?"

Ash opened his mouth, about to make a sarcastic comment as usual, when he looked at her and he found his words caught in his throat. Holy hell, he realized, to his amazement and/or horror-

She looked really, _really_ pretty.

It wasn't that she looked any different than she normally did that made her look pretty. Sure, the fading light of the sunset showered her in a soft warm glow that simultaneously brought out her eyes and softened her features, but no. Probably the most startling thing was the fact that what really made her look so especially pretty was, well...

She looked like she always did.

Ash, legitimately, thought Misty was pretty.

Hoo boy, there was a lot to unpack there, he thought. Had he always thought that? Well, kinda. But he never really thought about it unless she was like, _trying_ to be pretty. Like at Maiden's Peak, or during the Princess Festival. Not that he normally thought she looked _bad_, or anything, but _pretty?_

She was looking at him strangely now, he realized in a panic. And even worse, the weird way she was scrunching up her nose and tilting her head in that 'Ash, you stupid idiot' way she always did somehow made her look even prettier! His heart started beating hard and fast, and his mouth dried up, to the point where the only sound that could come out of his throat was a kind of gurgley wheeze.

Misty blinked, stepping back from him a step, probably thinking he was going to throw up, because honestly, there was a nonzero percent chance he was.

"Ash?" she asked carefully, "You okay?"

_No,_ he thought in alarm. _I think you're pretty, and our friends are trying to set us up on a date, and-_

Wait.

"Why was everyone trying to set us up?" he asked quickly.

Misty raised an eyebrow. "Wha-? What do you mean, why? Brock and Tracy are always doing stupid, invasive nonsense like that."

Ash shook his head. "No, not like this. Pikachu was helping them. You're sisters too!"

"So?"

"So! See, I just _now_ realized I think you're pretty-"

"You think I'm pretty?"

"-but they had all this planned! They must have had a reason..."

He froze. She froze. He looked at her. She looked back.

Slowly, the pieces came together.

"You like me," he whispered.

Misty stiffened. "H-huh?"

"You like me," he repeated, a bit more confidently this time.

"I do not."

"You do!" He pointed at her, a big grin sneaking onto his face. "It all makes sense!"

"Why on earth would I like _you_, Ash Ketchum?!" She demanded, but her face was bright red, and that was all Ash needed to keep going.

"I have no idea!" he laughed. "You are clearly _way_ out of my league, but you do! That's why everyone was trying to set us up! That's why you were staring at me last night, and why you asked if I was stupid or letting you down gently! Ha!"

Somehow, her face got even redder. "You idiot! You like me too!" she snapped, much to Ash's surprise.

"What?" he asked.

Misty rolled her eyes. "You just said I was out of your league, and you keep calling me pretty!" she explained. "You obviously like me, too!"

Well, she kinda had a point there, didn't she?

_Did_ he like Misty? Like, more-than-a-friend like Misty? Apparently he thought she was attractive, and he definitely cared about her and admired her as both a person and a pokemon trainer. They always had fun together...

And okay, he thought about her. A lot. Like, way more than he was comfortable admitting. Not to mention, he had really enjoyed visiting with her in Alola, and kinda got butterfree in his stomach when they watched the sunset and the fireworks together, even though he was a little jealous of how much time she was spending with Lana and was kinda heartbroken that she had sent _her_ a Mini Misty Lure, since that was supposed to be _their thing_, and-

Oh.

He guessed he did like her, too.

Huh. He smiled a little goofily, letting that thought kind of nestle into his brain. So he liked Misty. He could do worse. Maybe if she liked him back, they could-

_Wait._ His eyes widened.

"So you admit you like me?"

Pause. "I never said that."

"You said 'too'."

"No I didn't."

"You did."

"Did not."

"Did too!"

Misty opened her mouth to argue, but instead, let out a low, irritated growl, rubbing her temples. "Are we seriously fighting about this right now?"

Ash snorted. "Oh man, we are."

"Arceus," she chucked, despite herself. "We can't even confess to each other without arguing."

Ash laughed along with her, shaking his head. "Probably a bad sign." He ran a hand thought his hair as the laughing died down, coughing shyly when he caught her eye. "You _do_ like me though, right? I didn't just make that up?"

"Yes Ash, of course I do," she replied softly. "For a while now, actually."

"Oh." He allowed himself a little, dopey grin. "Would it be weird if I said I did too? Even though I didn't know?"

Misty rolled her eyes, though Ash could tell she was actually pretty pleased and not at all annoyed with the current conversation. "Weird? Yes. Surprising? Sadly, no. You've always been a little slow on the uptake, why would this be any different?"

"Hey!"

"But I'm glad to hear it," she said with another soft smile. "A little mad that it was a Brock and Tracy plan of all things that got us here. But overall, I'm, well..." She blushed. "_Really_ happy."

He beamed. "Me too."

"So, what now?" she asked, gesturing between the two of them bashfully, and Ash was pleased she still had a little pink her her cheeks. "What comes next?"

"Well... we can go on a date?" he offered lamely, holding up the basket. "I mean, they went though all this work. We kinda owe them."

"Oh no, we do, don't we?" she groaned good-naturedly. "They are never gonna let us live this down."

Ash laughed, untucking the blanket and laying it out on the ground. "Probably not. We can always try to hide it from them?"

Misty smirked. "I wont tell if you wont." Ash grinned in amusement.

"Deal."

_ **Meanwhile...** _

"Like, what are they saying, Tracy?"

"I can't tell, Daisy. The binoculars don't exactly work with sound."

"Shut up, you guys! They'll hear us!"

"Oh Brock, like, chill out, we're not _that_ loud. Oh! Oh, what's going on now?!"

"_Still_ can't tell, Lily. Looks like they might be holding hands though."

"Oooh, I'm so excited for baby sister! Think she'll ask us to be in the wedding?"

"Like she has any other choice. We, like, totally helped her finally get with Ash."

The group grinned to each other, the Sensational Sisters, Brock, Tracy and even Pikachu, basking in the glow of a job well done.

"They owe us big time," they said together, coming together for a victorious group high five.


End file.
